Dear Cherry:
I have been raising horses
for several years,so, am familiar with breeding, raising, training, etc. I have
a really pretty 4 year old gelding who is very talented. I just have a problem
with his attitude. When ever asked to do something - it's an automatic ear
back. He complies all the time, but with reluctance. I'm not used to this type
of behavior so am in a quandary as to what the problem is. C
Dear C: Maybe
you have done many of these things, but be sure to check that the grouchiness
does not have a specific cause. First,
so some detective work. Notice if the ears back, grouchiness appears at all times
or just riding or just ground work or just when grooming or ???? Does it seem to have a connection
to rein pressure or signals or to carrying weight or to some other area that you
can narrow things down a bit? In other
words, try to categorize just WHEN it occurs. This will help you and would help
me give you a more specific answer. Things
that commonly are associated with grouchiness are:
- tooth pain (he may
be shedding some teeth and having problems)
- back pain (saddle
fit?)
- lower limb lameness
hoof pain when
asked to move out, turn etc.
- poorly fitting bridle
- intestinal disorder
and many other causes.
If you
can give me some examples of WHEN he is grouchy and WHEN he is not, perhaps I
can give you a more specific answer. By the way, even when everything is OK, some
horses are just naturally irritable and reluctant to comply. This can be caused
by genetics, the dam, or early handling.
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